FreshService vs ServiceNow | In-Depth Comparison
ServiceNow and FreshService are two of the main players in the ITSM space. However - although their core functionality and use cases are similar, they target very different segments of the market.
Because of this, they diverge quite significantly across pricing, user experiences, implementation processes, and NFRs, such as hosting, security, and configurability.
Today, we’re diving deep into where each of these tools sits in the market, including who they’re for, what they cost, and what the offer. By the end, you’ll be fully equipped to make an informed decision about which is better suited to your needs.
More specifically, we’ll be covering:
Let’s start with the basics.
Overview
As we know, FreshService and ServiceNow are both primarily ITSM platforms. So, they offer core capabilities for service desk management, ticketing, self-service, request management, incident management, change management, and other related workflows.
Here are the basic details of each.
What is FreshService?
Part of the wider FreshWorks ecosystem, FreshService is a cloud-based, all-in-one service management platform. Although primarily aimed at IT teams, it offers enterprise service management capabilities, too.
It’s also commonly used to manage internal services within other departments, like finance or HR.
It has a strong reputation as a scalable, easy-to-implement platform for teams that need a centralized, omnichannel service management solution for their agents.
FreshService has always been a solid option for automating ITSM tasks, but in recent years, they’ve also implemented a range of built-in AI capabilities, with FreshWorks’ Freddy AI assistant, which can be used for self-service, agent productivity, trend analysis, and more.
What is ServiceNow?
ServiceNow is probably the biggest name in the ITSM space. Despite this, it’s a somewhat broader offering than its reputation suggests. Indeed, the Now platform also powers a range of operations, finance, HR, legal, procurement, and back office processes.
It’s an incredibly popular platform among large enterprises, counting the vast majority of Fortune 500 companies among its users.
To suit the needs of these kinds of organizations, it offers extensive customization and configurability, as well as self-hosting.
This means that ServiceNow is well-positioned for organizations with more advanced needs and large-scale operations.
On top of this, it offers a range of tools for building streamlined processes, including low-code apps, visual and code-centric automations, and predictive intelligence tools.
You might also like our round-up of the top ServiceNow alternatives .
Target usage, pricing, and implementation
Now that we understand the basics of what each platform offers, we can dive deeper into their respective positions within the market.
Specifically, we’ll start by examining their ideal use cases and customers, before thinking more about how this plays out in practical terms.
Target usage
First up, let’s think about the target usage for FreshService and ServiceNow.
FreshService
FreshService bills itself as an enterprise-grade solution for managing IT services, but in some ways, it may be better suited to small and medium-sized businesses. Or at least, teams that don’t want to expend massive IT resources to implement a solution.
Instead, a huge selling point is that FreshService can largely be used straight out of the box. This includes ready-to-use tools for core ITSM processes, including asset management, change management, incident management, ticketing, and more.
It still offers important enterprise capabilities like sandboxing and audit logs, although some other features, like Active Directory sync, require third-party plug-ins.
So, rather than straightforwardly targeting one size of organization or another, it’s best suited to teams that need a short time to value.
ServiceNow
Although it’s also marketed towards organizations of varying sizes, ServiceNow is more firmly aimed at the enterprise segment. On the one hand, we can see this in terms of pricing and configurability, as we’ll come onto in a moment.
First, though, let’s consider the positioning of the product itself. ServiceNow is highly suited to organizations with large-scale or more complex service portfolios. This is perhaps most apparent in the customization options available.
So, it offers powerful tools for building bespoke workflows, automations, and reporting, each of which we’ll return to later. There are also a range of out-of-the-box workflows available, including incident management, change control, and other ITIL practices.
Different aspects of the platform are offered modularly, so customers are able to choose a configuration that aligns with their internal needs. Unlike FreshService, ServiceNow is available as an on-prem solution, in addition to its core cloud offering.
Pricing and implementation
Next, we can consider each platform with respect to their relative costs. This is an area that is quite difficult to generalize, as each vendor uses a different pricing model and can offer varying time-to-values depending on specific use cases.
Here are the key points to consider.
FreshService
FreshService bills as a traditional SaaS product with fixed licensing tiers. This makes it a flexible, scalable option, especially for small-to-medium teams. Custom enterprise licenses are also available.
Fixed tiers are billed on a per-agent basis, with the cheapest of these starting from $19 per month. This should position FreshService as an affordable option for just about any team.
However, it’s worth noting that there are some important feature restrictions across the pricing tiers. Crucially, these relate to specific workflows and use cases. For instance, we’ll need the priciest Pro license to manage changes, problems, software licenses, or contracts.
Since these can’t be purchased individually, you may end up paying for capabilities you don’t need to access a subset of them. There are also limits on monthly orchestration transactions across the tiers.
However, licenses are only one aspect of how we determine the cost of a solution. We must also factor in implementation and maintenance costs, whether these rely on internal or external IT resources.
One clear upside of FreshService is that such associated costs will be relatively minimal, at least for more straightforward use cases.
ServiceNow
ServiceNow is a very different prospect. For one thing, pricing isn’t publicly advertised. Rather, licenses are offered on a custom basis. Reportedly, this can be based on user volumes, required modules, and other factors.
For instance, you might be billed differently for users who need to access ITSM, ITOM, BPA, or Security Ops features. Usage metrics like transactions and interactions might also be factored in.
As before, we also need to consider indirect costs besides licenses.
Compared to FreshService, this is likely a bigger concern in the case of ServiceNow. As a solution, it may be purchased directly or through a partner. In either case, there will typically be a much lengthier implementation process compared to FreshService.
Similarly, setting up or modifying workflows can be a comparatively involved process, often requiring more internal IT resources.
These factors, along with the corresponding time to value, should be taken into account when considering the overall cost of deploying an ITSM solution.
Managing ITSM workflows
Now that we have a better grasp of the basic offerings within each platform, we can drill into specific ITSM features and capabilities in more detail. For ease, we’ve broken this down into a few core considerations.
Data management
First of all, let’s compare FreshService vs ServiceNow when it comes to managing our service data.
FreshService
FreshService is built around a relational database system, although the specific platform that powers this isn’t disclosed. In any case, it provides a familiar, easy to understand experience for IT pros.
The schema of this is largely pre-defined, at least in terms of structure. So, it already ships with objects relating to key entities within ITSM processes, such as tickets and assets. We can then modify the fields that are stored against each of these.
FreshWorks also provides an SDK where we can define custom data objects as JSON.
This approach gives us a reasonable degree of flexibility without sacrificing out-of-the-box functionality. It’s worth noting, though, that custom data objects are restricted to the Pro tier.
FreshService provides a fully functional configuration management database with built-in discovery tools and support for third-party discovery. This provides a streamlined experience, including dependency mapping. However, limits on assets apply across pricing tiers.
One notable omission in terms of data management is native support for querying external databases. FreshService doesn’t offer JDCB natively, although workarounds are possible using API calls, middleware, or third-party plug-ins.
ServiceNow
ServiceNow is also based on a relational database system. In 2024, they switched from a MariaDB-based solution to RaptorDB, a fork of PostgreSQL. This provides a scalable, reliable platform suitable for enterprise teams.
There’s also huge flexibility for us to define a data model for our own bespoke needs.
We can easily create hierarchical data structures, including ServiceNow’s existing base tables, as well as our own custom extended tables based on these.
So, we may be able to achieve solutions that more closely align with our needs, but it’s worth taking into account the additional legwork that may be required to do so.
ServiceNow’s CMDB also provides a range of highly advanced capabilities aimed at enterprise teams. So, in addition to CI discovery, it provides change impact analyses, audit trails, and a range of compliance tools.
Unlike FreshService, ServiceNow offers JDBC connectivity, making it an easier and more reliable option if connecting to external databases is a core requirement.
UIs and app building
Having seen what each platform offers in terms of managing data, the next thing to consider is the kinds of user experiences we can create in each.
FreshService
For core workflows, FreshService’s approach here is largely centered around enabling us to configure and style existing UIs. So, we can quickly and easily adjust the look and feel of existing interfaces, including applying brand colors, themes, and logos.
There’s a greater degree of customization available for certain types of UIs, such as dashboards.
Another of these is forms. We output forms for specific use cases, including custom fields, using a straightforward visual interface. For example, for ticket submissions.
In terms of layouts, there are limits to what we can achieve here. At the same time, there are useful tools for making form fields dependent on previous inputs or no-code tools for updating forms dynamically based on business rules.
FreshService also has impressive functionality for shipping self-service portals. So, we can easily create professional tools for users to access internal services. As with forms, though, these are somewhat more rigid than some other, more configurable alternatives.
As we hinted at earlier, FreshWorks provides an effective SDK, which can be used to extend functionality. There’s also a huge library of third-party contributions using this. However, unlike ServiceNow, there’s no dedicated no/low-code app builder.
ServiceNow
ServiceNow UI and app-building tools are incredibly comprehensive. Core ITSM tasks are handled within Service Portal, Agent Workspace, and UI Builder - all of which are highly customizable, enabling us to build experiences for end-users and agents alike.
This is ideal for larger teams, as there’s a high degree of reusability on offer - including for widgets, app actions, and scripts.
Importantly, ServiceNow also offers its own suite of no/low-code tools in the form of App Engine Studio. This provides even non-developers with a platform to build fully customized solutions for their ITSM workflows.
For developers, there’s also a dedicated IDE for the ServiceNow ecosystem.
So, on the whole, ServiceNow really shines for customization and flexibility around building end-user solutions. But, as ever, this comes with the caveat that we’ll need the time and expertise to develop these.
Whether this is a better approach for you versus FreshService’s more off-the-shelf offering will depend on your specific needs.
Automations
Both FreshService and ServiceNow offer extensive capabilities for automating common service management tasks. However, as with data and UIs, the exact extent of what’s possible and how we can achieve it can vary significantly.
Let’s take a closer look.
FreshService
Like other aspects of the FreshService platform, automation tools are highly effective for teams that need to streamline workflows, without necessarily having the time and skills for more traditional solutions.
There’s a simple, diagrammatic interface for creating automation rules, including drag-and-drop functionality for defining triggers, actions, and logic.
This has enough power for most ITSM tasks, including ticket routing and categorization or handling notifications and approvals.
There’s no specific option for adding our own scripting within the Workflow Automator. You can also extend your capabilities with the SDK and FreshWorks App Ecosystem though, so workarounds could be findable for many use cases.
FreshService also offers a huge array of third-party integrations, both natively and with the App Ecosystem. This means that we can connect to all sorts of general business and more IT-specific tools with minimal effort and use them within automations.
ServiceNow
ServiceNow is a highly comprehensive solution for automating IT tasks, including workflow automation and end-to-end process automation.
There’s a dedicated workflow builder called Flow Designer. Like FreshService’s Workflow Automator, this is primarily a no-code, flow-chart-based experience.
However, it also offers some more advanced capabilities that better position it towards enterprise use cases. We can use custom scripting to define reusable automation actions. ServiceNow also offers dynamic subflows for creating more sophisticated logic.
Besides its workflow capabilities, ServiceNow also offers extensive IT process automation and orchestration tools via the Integration Hub, as well as its own native robotic process automation tools.
Within more use case-specific modules, it’s also possible to create highly advanced logic and solutions, like approval rules for change management, routing for ticket management, and auto-discovery for IT assets.
AI
Like many platforms, both ServiceNow and FreshService have invested heavily in AI capabilities over the past few years. However, their respective approaches to this have been somewhat different.
FreshService
FreshService ships with a tool called Freddy AI on certain tiers. We’ll need an Enterprise license to use this for self-service tasks, although we can purchase the Freddy AI Co-Pilot as an optional add-on for cheaper pricing tiers.
This provides two important clusters of capabilities.
Freddy AI Co-Pilot is intended to improve agent productivity, automate key tasks, and ensure consistency across your service delivery efforts. For example, Freddy can highlight knowledge base entries that are relevant to a request, draft responses, or categorize incoming tickets.
Freddy Insights can be used to analyze service desk interactions, either proactively or in response to prompts.
The Freddy AI Agent is a conversational chatbot that can assist users in resolving their queries, including pointing them toward appropriate knowledge entries.
This provides a strong, multi-channel experience, but the specific actions Freddy Agents can take are more limited, focusing instead on user self-service.
The biggest selling point is that all of this works out of the box with minimal effort. FreshService doesn’t explicitly support external LLMs, but we might be able to adapt these to certain use cases using API connections, third-party apps, or integration tools like Zapier and Make.
ServiceNow
AI is one area where ServiceNow is a particularly advanced platform. It also offers virtual agents, but these add a little bit more flexibility compared to FreshService.
We have a choice of natural language models to power this with, including IBM Watson, Microsoft LUIS, or Google DialogFlow. We can also use ServiceNow’s no-code model editor to create and customize our own NLU.
We can also use interactions to trigger automations for carrying out simple ITSM tasks.
Another strong suite is ServiceNow’s AI-powered predictive intelligence. This enables us to predict resolution times, identify incidents, monitor performance, and more.
Within specific workflows, there is a range of AI features that can improve outcomes. For instance, assessing risks associated with change initiatives, detecting anomalies, or predicting failures associated with our asset estate.
We can also integrate with external LLMs using API connections or via a MID server.
Out-of-the-box workflows
Lastly, we can compare FreshService vs ServiceNow with regard to the ITSM workflows that they ship with out of the box.
FreshService
As we’ve said extensively, FreshService is highly focused on enabling teams to manage services without requiring extensive set-up and configuration. Generally, all that’s required are minor changes within the existing user-friendly interface.
There’s also good alignment with the core ITIL practices, including dedicated tools for change management, asset management, ticketing, and more. We can edit data schemas and workflows for each, but they’re otherwise ready to go.
This makes it a great option for teams of a range of sizes, assuming that their needs are relatively conventional. By contrast, some organizations with more fringe requirements might find this too rigid and want to look elsewhere.
FreshService also offers some tools for ITOps tasks, such as release management or service health management, but lacks extensive DevOps capabilities.
Another potential stumbling block is that individual workflow features are restricted across different license tiers, with many of these reserved for the most expensive Pro and Enterprise licenses.
This could be problematic for some teams, especially if they only require a subset of these.
ServiceNow
Although it has a reputation for configurability, ServiceNow’s out-of-the-box ITSM workflows are also generally highly usable for teams with relatively conventional needs.
ITSM workflows are closely ITIL-aligned. Its configuration management capabilities are a particular strength.
Additionally, there are more advanced capabilities within individual workflows. For example, advanced prioritization tools within incident management workflows.
ServiceNow also provides fully functional tools for other IT processes, including ITOps, field service management, security ops, and more.
While the extent to which we customize or configure any of these is up to us, it’s important to note that many existing tools will be designed with large enterprises in mind. So, smaller teams may find them surplus to what they realistically need.
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